{"id":2103,"date":"2013-11-05T18:53:11","date_gmt":"2013-11-05T18:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=2103"},"modified":"2025-07-21T07:03:31","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T11:03:31","slug":"tips-to-help-young-athletes-have-fun-with-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/tips-to-help-young-athletes-have-fun-with-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips To Help Young Athletes Have Fun with Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/high-expectations-and-anger-in-youth-sports.jpg\" alt=\"Youth Sports Psychology\" class=\"wp-image-3640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/high-expectations-and-anger-in-youth-sports.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/high-expectations-and-anger-in-youth-sports-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Help_Sports_Kids_Have_Fun_In_Sports\"><\/span>Help Sports Kids Have Fun In Sports<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/tips-to-help-young-athletes-have-fun-with-sports\/#Help_Sports_Kids_Have_Fun_In_Sports\" >Help Sports Kids Have Fun In Sports<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/tips-to-help-young-athletes-have-fun-with-sports\/#His_most_important_tip\" >His most important tip:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/tips-to-help-young-athletes-have-fun-with-sports\/#Help_Young_Athletes_Enjoy_Sports\" >Help Young Athletes Enjoy Sports<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/tips-to-help-young-athletes-have-fun-with-sports\/#Expert_Interview_%E2%80%93_Exclusive_Audio_with_VJ_Stanley\" >Expert Interview &#8211; Exclusive Audio with VJ Stanley<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/tips-to-help-young-athletes-have-fun-with-sports\/#Related_Articles_on_Youth_Sports\" >Related Articles on Youth Sports:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/tips-to-help-young-athletes-have-fun-with-sports\/#Help_Young_Athletes_Boost_Confidence_in_Sports\" >Help Young Athletes Boost Confidence in Sports!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Don&#8217;t bring a Nobel-Prize winning professor to teach your young <strong>sports kids<\/strong> the physics behind throwing a ball. Instead, <strong>focus<\/strong> on games like &#8220;<em>Simon Says,<\/em>&#8221; and &#8220;<em>Hokey Pokey<\/em>.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s the word from VJ Stanley, a retired college hockey coach and youth sports coach of 30 years who is author of &#8220;<em>Stop The Tsunami in Youth Sports<\/em>,&#8221; He says that the youth sports scene right now is a &#8220;man-made disease&#8221; that can be fixed&#8211;and we need to start with the youngest kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"His_most_important_tip\"><\/span>His most important tip:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Make sure the kids are having fun. Yeah, yeah, you say. You&#8217;ve heard this before. But Stanley in Part Two of our interview with him, shared lots of great details about how to ensure young kids have fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Young kids will have fun if you don&#8217;t focus on the score but instead play lots of games that appeal to them. These include Simon Says and Hokey Pokey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;Keep in mind that they&#8217;re not mini-adults or remote-controlled robots,&#8221;<\/em> he says. <em>&#8220;Playing Simon Says in sports is all about young kids being active and using their bodies. Play games with them, the sillier the better, and they will dictate their interest. It&#8217;s all about them.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Help_Young_Athletes_Enjoy_Sports\"><\/span>Help Young Athletes Enjoy Sports<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Focusing<\/strong> on awareness and teamwork is key, Stanley says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;You want them to learn a little about enjoying the game, what competition is all about, and teamwork.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When he coaches young kids, he says, their faces light up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;To have that many kids smiling makes me happy.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s also critical to <strong>focus<\/strong> on what&#8217;s happening right now-not on what&#8217;s going to happen when it&#8217;s time to add up the score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;Once they&#8217;re living in the moment and having fun, it&#8217;s really great,&#8221;<\/em> he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If coaches want to &#8220;count,&#8221; something, they might want to count how many times kids touch the ball, Stanley suggests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;Young kids are generally terrible players,&#8221; <\/em>he says.<em> &#8220;They&#8217;re supposed to be terrible.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And keep in mind that kids who show promise at 5 or 6 or 10 aren&#8217;t always the kids who make Division 1 later in life.<em> &#8220;Only 10% of kids who are the best at 10 are the best at 18,&#8221;<\/em> he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to learn more about how to introduce young kids to sports and ensure they stay in the game and enjoy sports for the long haul?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Expert_Interview_%E2%80%93_Exclusive_Audio_with_VJ_Stanley\"><\/span>Expert Interview &#8211; Exclusive Audio with VJ Stanley<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At Kids&#8217; Sports Psychology, we&#8217;ve got lots of resources for you, including Part 2 of our interview with Stanley. Exclusive members of Kids&#8217; Sports Psychology can access the full interview here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Expert Interview &#8211; How To Help Kids Have Fun in Sports!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kids&#8217; Sports Psychology also provides other expert audio interviews, videos, articles, ebooks, question-and-answers and more, all designed to ensure your kids make the most of their sports experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"related-articles-on-hockey-mental-game\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Articles_on_Youth_Sports\"><\/span>Related Articles on Youth Sports:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/parents-do-you-want-kids-to-have-fun-or-perform-well\/\"><strong>Parents: Do You Want Kids to Have Fun or Perform Well?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-young-athletes-have-more-fun\/\"><strong>Helping Young Athletes Have More Fun\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/why-sports-must-be-fun-for-young-athletes\/\"><strong>Why Sports Must be Fun for Young Athletes<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-f49818fa-7c7a-4ee3-b5ee-66581aad2c71\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a> <\/strong>on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Help_Young_Athletes_Boost_Confidence_in_Sports\"><\/span>Help Young Athletes Boost Confidence in Sports!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ultimate-sports-parent-small.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ultimate-sports-parent-small.jpg\" alt=\"The Ultimate Sports Parent\" class=\"wp-image-11157\" style=\"width:167px;height:auto\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Every day, we receive letters from parents like you who want their children and teens to excel in sports. However, these parents can <strong>see fear, doubt, and frustration on the faces of their kids<\/strong> who struggle with the \u201cinner\u201d game of sports. But these parents have no idea how to help their kids <strong>overcome the worries, expectations and self-defeating thoughts<\/strong> that prevent their young athletes from feeling confident and successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can benefit from our 1<strong>5-plus years\u2019 of work in sports psychology and sports parenting research<\/strong>. Now, you can <strong>tap into our secrets to sports success<\/strong> through a cutting-edge, 14-day program that helps young athletes overcome the top \u201cmental game\u201d challenges that sports parents face\u2014and the top <strong>challenges young athletes face<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-fbab03ed\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-fa7bf2e7 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/ultimate-sports-parent-workbook-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-33bcee1d gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/products\/the-ultimate-sports-parent-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Help Sports Kids Have Fun In Sports Don&#8217;t bring a Nobel-Prize winning professor to teach your young sports kids the physics behind throwing a ball. Instead, focus on games like &#8220;Simon Says,&#8221; and &#8220;Hokey Pokey.&#8221; That&#8217;s the word from VJ Stanley, a retired college hockey coach and youth sports coach &#8230; <a title=\"Tips To Help Young Athletes Have Fun with Sports\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/tips-to-help-young-athletes-have-fun-with-sports\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Tips To Help Young Athletes Have Fun with Sports\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3639,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[39,191,173,321,251,117],"class_list":["post-2103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-kids-sports-psychology","tag-sports-parents-tips","tag-tips-for-sports-parents","tag-young-athletes","tag-youth-sports","tag-youth-sports-psychology","resize-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2103"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2103\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}